Book Club Guide

Perfume

by Patrick Suskind · 1985 · Literary Fiction

Key themes

Genius as monstrousness — what extraordinary ability produces when it has no conscience
The aestheticisation of violence — what happens when murder becomes art
The 18th century as a moral vacuum that makes Grenouille possible

About this book

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, born in 18th-century Paris without a body odour of his own, has the most extraordinary sense of smell in history. He devotes his life to creating the perfect perfume — through increasingly monstrous means. Süskind's philosophical thriller is a satire of genius, obsession and the aestheticisation of violence, set in a meticulously researched pre-revolutionary France.

Published in German in 1985 and English in 1986, Perfume spent over a year on the German bestseller list and has sold over 20 million copies. Süskind has been largely reclusive since its publication.

Discussion questions

Grenouille has an extraordinary gift — the finest nose in history — and no moral sense at all. What is Süskind saying through this combination — about genius, about beauty, about the relationship between aesthetic refinement and ethics?
The novel is obsessively sensory — smell is described with a precision that no language quite possesses. How does Süskind create this sensory world — and what does the attempt to language smell add to the reading experience?
Grenouille's final act is the novel's most disturbing and most strange. How does Süskind develop it — and what does this ending say about genius, desire and what the crowd contains?
The novel is set in 18th-century France with fastidious historical detail. What does the Enlightenment period add — and why does this story need this historical setting?
Perfume has been read as a satire of Nazism, of celebrity, of artistic genius. Which reading do you find most compelling — and does Süskind invite all of them simultaneously?